Bowling-alley.



PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1908.

WILLIAM W. VEARING, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

B OWLING-ALLEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed. May 31, 1907. Serial No. 376,473.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM W. VEARING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bowling-Alleys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in a bowling alley and particularly relates to what is termed the spot. The spots are formed in the surface of the alley to indicate the proper positions for placing the pins.

The object of my invention is to provide a spot, in the form of a disk, which may be adjusted to the surface of the alley, as the spot wears away, due to the constant placing of the pin upon it; a further object of my invention is to provide means for securing the spot so that there will not be any metal fasteners, such as screw-heads or bolt heads, extending to the surface, to cut the balls when the surface of the spot is worn down, or which will prevent the surface of the alley from being planed; a still further object of my invention is to provide a base, or founda tion, to support the spot so that the same will be held in a horizontal position and will not be driven down below the surface of the alley by the force of the pin as it is constantly being placed upon the spot.

Referring to the drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of a bowling-alley having my improved spot embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a sectional perspective view of the spot detached; and, Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective view of the base for holding the spot.

In the drawing 1. represents the bowlingalley having a perfectly smooth surface so that balls may be rolled upon the same with the object of knocking down the pins, usually ten in number, which are placed at one end of the alley.

The pin 2, a portion of which is shown in dotted lines Fig. 1 stands upon the surface of the alley, which has spots, either painted upon the surface or formed of inlaid disks of hard wood or metal, to indicate the proper positions of the pins upon the alley. The spots heretofore used, when made of wood, wear away rapidly from the constant placing of the pins upon them, or if made of metal will become depressed at one side leaving the opposite edge projecting above the surface of the alley which will injure the balls as they roll over the spots.

My improved spot is formed of a disk 3, which may be of wood or fiber, and a base 4 preferably of metal in which said disk 3 is secured.

In the surface of the alley is formed a circular recess the size of the disk 3. In the bottom of the recess is placed the metal base 4 which is securely fastened, in the bottom of the said recess formed in the alley, by screws 5 or any other suitable means. The base 4 has a cylindrical wall 6 which is screwthreaded to receive the reduced portion 7 of the disk 3, which is also provided with a screw-thread so that the disk may be tightly screwed into the base 4.

The disk 3 is provided with two small apertures 8 and 9 which are oppositely disposed so that a wrench may be inserted in said apertures and the disk turned, to screw it into or out of the base 4.

When the disk 3 has worn away so that its surface comes below the surface of the alley, the disk is unscrewed and removed. A filling plate 10 is inserted in the base 4 and the disk 3 is again tightly screwed into the base 4. The top surface of the disk 3 is then planed off until it is level with the surface of the alley. By the use of one or more filling plates to raise the disk up, the same disk may be used several times before it is necessary to discard it.

By making the disks 3 of fiber or wood the alley may be planed, to make the surface perfectly level, without removing the disks 3, and when the disks are worn below the surface of the alley they may be raised up to the surface so that the alley need only be planed to make it level, instead of being planed down to a level with the spots that may be worn below the surface of the alley.

Having thus described my invention I claim and'desire to secure by Letters Patent.

1.. In a bowling-alley, the combination of an alley having a recess formed in the surface thereof, a base inserted in the bottom of the said recess formed in the alley, a disk of the same diameter as the recess formed in the alley, and means for securing said disk in said base.

2. In a bowling-alley, the combination of an alley having a recess formed in the surface thereof, a base secured in the bottom of the said recess formed in the alley, a disk of the same diameter as the recess in the alley, a screw threaded portion on said disk and a screw threaded portion in said base in which said disk is screwed. i

8. In a bowling-alley, the combination of an alley having a recess formed in the surface thereof, a base secured in the bottom of said recess formed in the alley, a cylindrical wall on said base, a disk of the same diameter as the recess formed in the alley, a reduced. portion on said disk and means for securing said reduced portion of said disk in the said cylindrical wall of said base.

4. In a bowling-alley, the combination of an alley having a recess formed in the surface thereof, a base secured in the bottom of the said recess formed in the alley, a cylindrical wall on the said base having a screw thread formed therein, a disk of the same diameter as the recess formed in the alley, a reduced portion on said disk, and a screw thread formed on the said reduced portion of said disk whereby the said diskmay be screwed into the said cylindrical wall of said base.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM W. VEARING. Witnesses:

M. R. CLEELAND, JAMES F. BOYLAN. 

